


4x10 - Clay Reads Justins College Essay

by FandomFeels17



Series: Missing / Deleted scenes [10]
Category: 13 Reasons Why (TV)
Genre: Alternate Scene, M/M, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:08:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25528696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FandomFeels17/pseuds/FandomFeels17
Summary: Justin, who had been watching him closely, smiled wetly, his eyes shining with unshed tears. ''Because he's my brother.'' Justin finished for him, his voice shaky. ''He's my positive influence. He's the reason I'm alive and able to write this college essay in the first place.''
Relationships: Justin Foley & Clay Jensen, Justin Foley/Clay Jensen
Series: Missing / Deleted scenes [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1791589
Comments: 5
Kudos: 74





	4x10 - Clay Reads Justins College Essay

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so sorry that it's been a few weeks, guys!
> 
> I promise I'm still here. I was in the middle of typing a different one up when I heard the awful news about Naya Rivera. All I could think of was her poor little boy and I couldn't sleep at night until Cory helped them find her.
> 
> And I'm back at work now, not properly, but we're slowly getting there. Which is nice, to have a bit of normality back in my life.

Clay, Justin and the gang were looking out over the skyline of California. They were finally free from the shackles of high school and exams and the horrors of the school years. College was on the horizon, as was a few exciting adventures before hand.

Slowly but surely, the gang eventually trickled away, going their separate directions but all armed with a promise to have one last blowout before they all left for college/travelling again. Heading back to the car, Clay and Justin climbed into their respective seats, Justin the passenger one, having driven to the burial site of the tapes.

Shutting the doors, silence enveloped them. Both of them lost in their thoughts. Both of them had different feelings about leaving school, both of them felt different about their upcoming exam results. 

''Are you okay?'' 

Clay glanced at Justin, before shaking his head. ''I feel weird.'' he admitted. ''Like... We've graduated. We're adults now.''

''Not about that. About the tapes and shit been gone.''

''Oh.'' Clay nodded. ''It was time to let her go once and for all. And it seemed... symbolic in a way.''

Justin nodded, before tipping his head back. ''Still doesn't feel real. Like... Everything that's happened in the last two... three years.''

Clay started up the car and pulled out onto the road. ''Yeah, I get what you mean. It feels like a fever dream?''

Justin nodded. ''Yeah. To be honest, I still can't believe I'm adopted, let alone that I'm still alive.'' 

Clay fell silent, glancing over at Justin quickly before looking back out onto the open road. ''I'm glad you are.''

''Which bit?''

''Both.'' Clay said, pulling to a stop at a red light. ''I know I may not have shown it very well this year, but you're my brother and I'm sorry for how I treated you this year.'' Clay apologized before setting off again, turning left to head to their house. ''I should've been more supportive in your sobriety and I should've been there to support you, and I wasn't. I'm sorry.''

Justin could feel his throat tightening with unshed tears, so he just shook his head before clearing his throat. ''You don't have to apologise. You were going through some stuff as well.''

''Justin, I said some... Some horrible things that warrant an apology. And I can't ever apologise enough. So, I'm truly sorry about what I said, for not being there for you and for being the worst brother ever.'' 

''Are we really going into a competition right now, over who is the worse? We've both said and done some bad shit, we're sorry. We're cool.''

Clay opened his mouth to refute that statement, when he pulled up at the house and saw his parents dash inside with something colourful. He groaned. ''I think our parents are throwing us a party.''

Justin laughed. ''Why is that a bad thing? We've just graduated high school.''

Clay glanced at him. ''You'll see.'' He said, as he climbed from the car.

Justin scrambled after him, confused as why Clay was uncomfortable with a party of all things. Meeting him at the top of the steps, they stepped into the house and were immediately greeted by silly string and party poppers. Justin laughed delightedly, while Clay grumbled at the silly string, pulling it from his body. ''Lighten up!'' Justin told him, grabbing a silly string bottle and spraying it all over his brother.

Clay yelped before he blindly fumbled for bottle himself before spraying Justin as best as he could. Laughter filled the air, as the family laughed at Clay missing Justin completely and getting his mom instead. 

''Okay, truce! Before something gets broken.'' Matt called, over the laughter, watching as his wife and sons collapsed onto the sofa in a giggling mess. Quickly grabbing his phone, he snapped a picture, savouring the moment.

Calming down, the three on the sofa pulled themselves together and sat up, shaking the silly string off them. ''So, we thought we could go out and celebrate? How about it?'' Lainie said, picking the silly string out of her blonde hair.

The brother looked at each other, both nodding. ''Sure.'' Justin said, getting his feet and picking silly string off his face before putting it in the kitchen bin. ''Should we start to get ready now?''

The adults nodded, so the boys headed to the Outhouse. Unlocking the door, they stepped inside, both of them frowning slightly at the boxes on the beds, before realising they were their locker boxes from school.

''Have you sorted through yours yet?'' Justin asked, lifting the lid and frowning. ''Wait, this ain't my box.'' He looked over at Clay, who looked confused as he held up something white. Justin cackled when he realised what it was that Clay was holding up.

''Is this-''

''My jockstrap? Yes!'' he yelped as Clay fired it at him. Cackling, Justin fell onto his bed in a fit of laughter. ''Oh, calm down!'' he spluttered through his laughter. 

Clay picked up Justin's box and placed it on his bed, scooping down to pick up the piece of white paper that had floated out of the box. He saw the title and frowned. ''Your college essay?'' he said, folding it back up and handing it to Justin, who was looking a little bit pink on the cheeks.

''You can read it, if you want.'' Justin mumbled, busying himself with sorting out his box, smiling as he stroked his diploma.

Clay looked down at the piece of paper. ''Are you sure?'' he asked, wanting to double check. At Justin's nod, he unfolded the sheet of paper and sat down on his bed. Clearing his throat, he read it out loud. ''I didn't really grow up with much positivity in my life and if I had influences around me, they were definitely bad. My mother was a drug addict. Her revolving door of boyfriends, mostly drug addicts too. I had a best friend I used to look up to, but then he hurt people close to me, and now he's dead. There was a time in my life where I truly had nothing but the clothes on my back-'' Clay broke off to compose himself, swallowing hard as he remembered that period of their lives. ''And regret for the people I'd hurt and then a person came into my life, a person named Clay Jensen. Even when I was puking all over his room, he was there. He's always been there, which is why even though I've never had a proper family, I know what it feels like to have one because Clay gave that to me, because he's my...'' Clay broke off, his words stopping his throat as he stared at the word in-front of him. 

Justin, who had been watching him closely, smiled wetly, his eyes shining with unshed tears. ''Because he's my brother.'' Justin finished for him, his voice shaky. ''He's my positive influence. He's the reason I'm alive and able to write this college essay in the first place.''

Clay was obviously trying to hold himself together. Justin could see his lips turning white from pressing them together harshly. Placing his diploma on the bed, he rushed over to Clay's side, pulling him for a hug. ''You wrote about me? Even though I've been the shittest brother ever this year?'' Clay sobbed, for once not embarrassed about Justin seeing him been emotional.

Justin wiped some of his own tears away, before nodding, his cheek brushing the top of Clay's head. ''Of course I wrote about you. They said to write about someone positive in your life. You, Lainie and Matt are my family, but you ultimately saved me that day on the streets. I'd be dead without you guys.'' He gently pulled away from the hug. ''Look, I know you apolosied in the car but... We've both had a bad year, personally and mentally. We each had our own coping methods but at the end of the day, we're still family. You could insult me in the worse way-''

''I did. When I told you my parents weren't yours. I know I was pissed and high, but that's not an excuse. I should never have said that to you. I'm sorry I didn't apologise a few weeks ago but I'm apologising twice now. They are your family, they are your parents. Just as much as they are mine.''

Justin nodded. ''I know.'' He sniffled, before he rushed into the toilet to grab some tissue for both of them. Handing some to Clay, he blew his nose noisily. ''You didn't have to apologise again, but thankyou.''

''I did.'' Clay whispered, before wiping his eyes with the tissues. Sighing, he got up and crossed the room, grabbing his box of locker stuff and placing it on his bed. ''Do you want to grab the shower first?''

Justin nodded. ''Sure. You okay?'' he asked, as he reached into his dresser and pulled out a nice shirt and a pair of skinny jeans, laying them on the bed.

Clay nodded. ''Yeah, I'm fine.'' he said, smiling softly.

Justin doubled checked, before he left the outhouse to grab the shower before Lainie or Matt got in there. Clay watched as the door shut before picking up the essay again and reading it over silently again. He smiled as he re-read the last few lines where Justin identifies him as his positive influence. Folding it up again, he tucked under the cardboard robot he had made and where he had hidden Justin's pills last year. Putting the lid back on both of their boxes, he tucked them both under the bed, vowing to sort them out later.

Picking up Justin's diploma, he smiled as he read it. A year or so ago, it looked unlikely that Justin would graduate with them, since he missed out on so much education when he was on the streets. Now, here he was, healthy, he had a roof over his head and he had graduated, thanks to summer school and a lot of pushing from Jess and Clay himself. Propping their diploma's on their respective pillows, Clay grabbed a smart pair of clothes and headed for the door.

Glancing back at their diploma's and the essay, he smiled, before shutting the door and heading into the main house to get ready for their graduation celebration.

**Author's Note:**

> It may seem a little short and not up to my normal standards, I'm sorry!
> 
> I will have another up soon! A happy one, one that I'm hoping will put a nice smile on people's faces.
> 
> I love you all and I hope you enjoyed it. X


End file.
